New York is a global city. Its inhabitants hail from every country in the world, while international commerce and tourism make much of its economy hum. But CUNY’s new rules on general education downgrade the study of foreign languages – a change that has sparked deep faculty concern.

As Spring semester got underway, faculty across CUNY found themselves grappling with the requirements laid out by CUNY central administration under the Pathways process. A recurring flashpoint has been the general ban on four-credit courses in the “Common Core Structure.”

We have begun negotiations with CUNY for a new contract, but CUNY has not made an economic offer. With no money on the table, the PSC can – and has – made progress on non-economic issues, but we cannot negotiate seriously on the big economic items such as salary increases and a more reasonable teaching load until CUNY comes forward with an offer.

The PSC has joined other unions in opposing Gov. Cuomo's call for a new pension tier. The plan would dramatically reduce benefits for future hires and would sabotage CUNY's ability to attract top-quality talent.